Christmas Collage
by OnlyYouForever
Summary: This is an absolutely disgusting dose of AU fluff that I'm not even sorry for. Though, I do hope you enjoy!


**A/N: Merry Christmas to all of my fellow Alicia/Will fans! While I wish you all the best, I am dedicating this cheesy ball of fluff to my darlings: Sabrina, Aleisha, Talita, Lexi and Hayley. I hope you all enjoy this little trip into my alternate universe!**

**Many thanks to Talita for my icon!**

* * *

><p>Rolling onto her back, Alicia opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. Realizing she had dozed off, she sighed and sat up, noting the unusual silence that enveloped her home. Rising from the sofa, she slowly made her way to the kitchen. Grabbing a glass and filling it with water from the spout on the refrigerator; she glanced at the clock on the wall and mentally weighed dinner options. Hearing the sounds of laughter coming from her backyard, she walked over to the sink, glancing out of the window over it and smiled. There was her family, playing in the newly fallen snow. Placing her glass in the sink, she walked to the back door, pulled on her boots and wrapped her sweater around her tighter.<p>

"Daddy, do you think Mommy will like it?" Analise asked as she stepped back to admire their work.

"I'm sure she'll love it, munchkin. She always loves our snowman." Will assured her as she packed more snow onto the bottom half.

"Dad?"

"Yeah, kiddo?"

"Is…is Mom okay?" Eliza whispered, so that her little sister wouldn't hear.

Quickly, Will turned to face his oldest daughter. "What? Why would you ask that?"

"Dad, I'm fourteen. I'm not a baby anymore. I know she's been sick a lot lately and really tired. She also hasn't been working as much."

Smiling, he looked down and shook his head. "You're just like your mother, you know that? Incredibly perceptive." Leaning forward, he placed a kiss on her forehead. "Don't worry. She's fine."

"Ugh. I can't reach the top and he needs more snow on his head." Analise whined.

"Well maybe Daddy can pick you up instead of letting you struggle."

They all turned to see Alicia standing on the back porch, eyebrows raised in Will's direction.

"Mommy! You're awake!" Alicia chuckled as she watched her five year old struggle to run in the snow to get to her and quickly moved to help.

"Mom, you're going to freeze out here."

"Yeah, what she said." Will chastised.

Bending to kiss her daughters rosy cheek and fix her hat, she looked at her husband. "You didn't notice she could hardly see?"

"Do you like the snowman, Mommy? You were right. The snow was waiting for Christmas Eve to come."

"I love it baby. I think we should make cookies that look just like him later, don't you?"

Analise gasped and jumped with glee. "Oh can we? Please?"

"Of course."

"Leesh, you should go back inside or at least let me get your coat. It's freezing." Will told her softly.

"I'll go back in. Relax, you two. I was wondering if any of you had any ideas for dinner. I should probably get that started."

"Mom, you're not supposed to be cooking today." Eliza told her.

"Exactly." Will grabbed her hands as she tried to protest. "Hey, you insisted on cooking for everyone tomorrow. There's no way in hell you're cooking today, too."

"So, you are?"

"What? Oh God no. Mom, come on. Can't we just order something?" Eliza protested, earning a sideways glare from her father.

"On Christmas Eve? What would we even order?"

"Pizza!" Analise exclaimed.

"Well, there you have it. We're ordering pizza." Retaining his grasp on her hands, Will walked her back toward their porch. "Now, you, my beautiful wife, will go back inside where it's nice and warm. Back on the sofa, we'll finish up out here and come in. I'll make us all some hot cocoa."

"I can-"

"No. You will do nothing." Before she could argue, he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "Now get back inside."

"Yes, sir."

/

Emerging from his study and locking the door behind him, Will found Alicia in the kitchen surrounded by bowls, cookie cutters and ingredients. "Hey you." He greeted her as he looked around. "I thought the girls were helping with the baking."

"Is that my darling husband? I was starting to think you took off for Narnia." she joked as she reached up to kiss him. "They are. I just sent Ana up to get Ellie from her room." She swatted his hand away as he reached for chocolate chips.

"Mmm. Then I'll take another of these, please." Pulling her back to him for another kiss, they were soon interrupted by the rapid approach of little footsteps.

"Where's your sister?" Alicia asked.

Analise shrugged in response. "She's on her computer with headphones on."

"Will." Alicia sighed.

"Going." He kissed her cheek and headed upstairs.

Approaching his daughter's bedroom, he halted in the doorway and leaned against the frame, surprised to find her intently reading whatever was on the screen. It was moments like this where she resembled Alicia most. Smiling to himself, he always reveled in the fact that their girls were identical images of her; raven curls, green eyes and dazzling smiles. Alicia insists they have his personality, but he never sees it. Entering her bedroom after it became obvious she didn't hear him knock; he noticed that she was reading a page on WebMD. Seemingly feeling his presence, she turned quickly and removed her headphones.

"Dad. What are you doing?"

Deciding not to question her, he smiled and nodded in the direction of the stairs. "Your mom is waiting for you in the kitchen."

"Oh shoot." She jumped up from her seat. "I didn't realize the time. Sorry." She said as she moved past him.

"It's okay, kiddo." He followed her down the stairs and turned toward his study. "Have fun."

"You're not helping?"

"No, I have to finish this…thing…for your mom." He smirked.

"Ooohh, can I see?"

Putting up his hands, he shook his head as she approached him. "Nope. Top secret. You'll see it in the morning when she does." Shooing her away, he turned and entered the room, locking the door behind him.

"Where's Daddy?" Analise asked, looking behind her sister for their father.

"In his study." She answered as she walked to where her mother stood. "Sorry, Mom. I didn't realize the time."

"Again?" Analise huffed. "Mommy, I thought Daddy was helping, too?"

"No, baby. This is our time. Daddy will help clean."

"And eat them all, like he always does." Analise shook her head. "We have to hide some for Santa."

Alicia laughed at her and made a mental note to share this with Will later. "Don't worry. We'll make extra for Daddy and for tomorrow."

"Mom, why did you decide not to have everyone over today?" Eliza asked. "We always host Christmas."

Alicia searched her mind for an appropriate response as she measured out flour and handed the cup to Analise who poured it into the bowl. "Um, well…you know how it is when your grandmothers _and _your aunts and uncle are together in the same place. I just don't have the energy to deal with that two days in a row this year." She told her. "Besides, is it a crime to want to spend a quiet Christmas Eve at home with my favorite people in the entire universe?"

"Mommy, can I crack the egg now?" Analise asked.

"Yes, baby. But, remember how Mommy showed you."

"I know, I know. Tap it lightly." She said with a hint of exasperation in her tone and if Alicia's eyes were not deceiving her, she swore she saw her roll her eyes.

"Are you sure that's the real reason?" Eliza asked, quietly.

"What?" she turned her attention back to her daughter. "What do you mean, Ellie?"

She shrugged and glanced at her sister, who sat fixated on cracking the egg open. "Mom, if you don't feel good, you can be honest."

"Oh honey, I-"

"Aw, man. Ewww!" Analise interrupted. "Mommy! I squeezed the egg too hard again." She complained.

"Ugh, Ana. You do this every time." Eliza complained. "I'll clean it up, mom."

"Hey." Alicia reached out and grabbed ahold of her arm. "I'm fine. Okay?" She noticed the worry in her daughter's eyes as she nodded before moving to envelop her mother in a tight hug, surprising her. Alicia quickly wrapped her arms around her and kissed her head.

"Hello! I still have yucky egg all over my hands." Analise whined.

/

"Yay! Rudolph saved the day!"

"Ana! Shhh! Mommy fell asleep." Eliza scolded her in a whisper.

Will looked down when he felt Alicia move against his chest. "No, no, no. It's okay. I'm awake." She murmured.

Analise leaned across Will's lap so that she was face to face with her mother. "I'm sorry I woke you up, Mommy." She whispered.

Smiling, Alicia reached out and pulled her toward her. "It's okay my baby. I was already awake." She assured her before kissing her chubby cheek. "Ready for some milk and cookies?" she chuckled when she felt her nod against her neck, where she'd just nestled.

"I thought it would never be time for cookies." Will said as he rose from the sofa and stretched before moving toward the kitchen.

"Daddy, don't eat all of them this time." Alicia laughed as she stood with Analise in her arms and immediately sat back down with her eyes closed. "Mommy, are you okay?"

"Mom?"

"I'm fine, girls."

"Dad!" Eliza called out.

Will rushed back from the kitchen. "What happened?"

"Something is wrong with Mommy." Analise told him as she looked from her mother to her father.

"Nothing is wrong." She sighed.

"Are you sure?" He knelt down in front of them.

"I just stood up too quick, I'm fine."

"Well, just in case…" He stood and reached his arms out to Analise. "Come on munchkin, Daddy will carry you."

Seeing the pout form on her daughters face as Will lifted her from her lap, Alicia took a deep breath and stood from the sofa, silently sending her thanks for not suffering another dizzy spell. "Don't worry, I'm right here." She turned and reached for Eliza. "Come on, sweetie." Letting her mother wrap her arm around her shoulders and place a kiss on her head, they followed Will to the kitchen.

"Oh, Ana, you still have to write your note for Santa." Eliza said as she sat next to her sister.

"Ellie…" Alicia raised an eyebrow as she handed her paper and pencils.

She rolled her eyes playfully and shook her head. "I mean, we…_we_ have to write _our_ notes to Santa."

Offering his wife a bite of his cookie, Will glanced at his daughters before turning his attention back to Alicia. "What was that?" he whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. Like I said, I just stood too fast." She assured him.

"Well…" he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her forehead. "After we put the cookies and carrots out, we'll put the girls to bed and you will go lay down while I play Santa." He placed his finger on her lips to stop her protest. "No arguments." He told her.

"All done!" Analise exclaimed, holding her note up for them to see.

"And you finished your cookies and milk, too." Alicia pointed out. "Ready to put everything out for Santa and the reindeer?" she laughed when Analise nodded enthusiastically.

"Then it's bedtime." Will told them, turning his attention to Alicia. "For everybody." He warned.

* * *

><p>Feeling Alicia lightly caressing his arm, Will raised his head slightly to squint at the clock on his nightstand. Seeing that it was just a little after 7am, he rolled over to face her and placed his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.<p>

"What's wrong?" She groaned in response as he ran his hand along her back in a soothing motion. "How long have you been awake?"

"About an hour." She murmured before placing a soft kiss on his lips.

"Everything okay?" he asked quietly.

Scrunching up her nose, she shrugged slightly. Pausing to listen, she smiled before pointing toward their door. "Here she comes…" Will quickly sat up just as Analise threw open the door and ran in.

"Mommy! Daddy! Santa came!" she yelled as she ran forward, Will catching her before she jumped onto Alicia.

"Whoa, munchkin! No jumping on Mommy today." He told her before kissing her repeatedly, making her giggle until she squirmed her way out of his arms and crawled over to Alicia, nestling next to her.

"Merry Christmas, Mommy."

"Merry Christmas, baby. Where's Ellie?"

Analise shrugged. "I don't know. She's not in her room."

"But…" Will said as he stood from the bed, picked up Analise and reached his hand out for Alicia to take. "I smell cinnamon."

"And bacon." She added as she put her robe on and followed them out of the room.

"Merry Christmas!" Eliza greeted them as they entered the kitchen.

"You made breakfast?" Alicia asked as she grabbed a piece of bacon from the plate she handed her.

Playfully pushing her father's hand away, "No, Dad. Yours is over there. Now, there's no reason for you to eat all of her bacon."

"Ha!" Alicia quickly pulled her plate out of his reach and shook her head. "You heard your daughter. Over there."

"Here, Ana." Eliza placed a slice of French toast in front of her sister. "I know you want to open your presents. Eat this and maybe Mommy and Daddy will let you."

Alicia nodded in agreement. "Thank you, honey."

Eliza shrugged. "You're cooking dinner, so I thought I'd help out by making breakfast." She told her as Will pulled her into a hug.

"Good job, kiddo." He told her before kissing her head.

/

"Mommy, look." Analise tugged at a wide, flat package that still sat under the tree. "This one has your name on it." She tugged harder. "Ugh. It's too heavy." She pouted.

"Let me get it." Will told her.

"Dad, is that…?" Eliza asked her father, who nodded in response.

Alicia looked between the two of them. "Is that what?"

Picking up the package with ease, he made his way over to where she sat and handed it to her. "Merry Christmas." He told her, smiling.

Reaching for it, she shook her head. "Will…"

"Just open it." He urged her softly.

Sitting up straight, she did as she was told and tore away the wrapping paper, gasping lightly when she saw what lay beneath it. Tears immediately fell from her eyes as she ran her fingertips across the picture frame before her. Will had carefully arranged a collage of photos representing meaningful moments in their life together, some that she'd never before laid her eyes on. They were all beautifully held together in what was obviously a specially made frame. Smiling through her tears, she ran her fingertip along the words that were engraved into the top: _Smile like you mean it_.

"Mommy's crying." Analise whispered, looking to her father.

"It's okay, baby." Alicia told her as she quickly wiped her tears away. "They're happy tears. Come here." She gestured to her daughters, who rose from the floor and sat on either side of her on the sofa.

"Hey, that's us." Analise pointed to a photo that Owen had taken of the four of them at the lake that past summer.

"Dad, this is so cool." Eliza told him as she looked at the collage. "When is this one from?" she asked, pointing to a photo of her parents looking at her grandmothers, who were behind them, laughing.

"Oh God, is this…?" she looked toward Will, who nodded. "That was our first Christmas together with our families."

"_Do you think they're getting along?" she asked him._

"_Well," he glanced behind them toward their mothers. "I think they might be drunk."_

"_Oh great. My mother has corrupted yours." She rolled her eyes and shook her head._

"_Relax. My mother is no angel. At least they're getting along, right?"_

"_William." He turned when his mother called out. "Why are you just standing there? Kiss her already!"_

_He furrowed his brows in confusion, glancing at Alicia and then back to his mother. "What?"_

"_Look up." They turned when Owen appeared behind them, camera in hand._

_They both looked up and smiled when they saw that they were standing under the mistletoe._

"_And make it a good one." Veronica told him. "With some tongue."_

"_Mom!" Alicia scolded._

"_Oh good one, Vee." Ellen commented, before they erupted into laughter._

"So, Grandma Vee and Grandma El were always that way, huh?" Eliza asked.

"Yes. Yes, they were. Now do you understand my not having them over too often?" Alicia joked.

"Ooh, look. A snowman!" Analise pointed out.

"Wait," Eliza leaned in closer. "What does it say on it?"

Alicia smiled and looked at Will. "That's one of my favorites." She told them.

_Kicking the door closed behind her, Alicia descended the steps leading from the back porch into the backyard with two mugs of hot chocolate in her hands._

"_I thought it might be time to bring this out to you guys." She said as she approached Will and Owen, who stood admiring their snowman._

_Will's eyes widened as he smiled at her. "Hey, good timing. We're done. Why don't you come take a look?"_

"_Yeah, sis." Owen rushed to take the mugs from her. "Here, let me grab those."_

"_What? Oh… Okay." She shook her head, grabbing Will's outstretched hand and let him pull her to his side. Looking at the snowman, she gasped and her hand flew to cover her mouth as she turned to look at him. "Will…"_

_Hearing a clattering of noise, she turned to see their parents and siblings all gathered on the back porch watching them. Looking back at the snowman wearing the words "Will you marry me?" spelled out with popcorn; she could no longer hold back her tears. _

_Clearing his throat, he tightened his grip on her hand and knelt down, looking up at her. "Alicia Cavanaugh, three years ago on this day, I met you at a gas station where we both stopped on our way to Christmas dinner with our families. We reached for the last snowman cookie at the same time and when you smiled at me, my life suddenly had meaning." His words caught in his throat and he took a deep breath before continuing. "I never believed in love at first sight, but, I knew right then and there that I would spend the rest of my life making sure you always had a reason to smile. I love you, Alicia, with all of my heart. So…" he pulled a small red box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a beautiful diamond ring that sparkled brightly up at her. "Will you marry me so that I can spend the rest of our Christmases making you snowmen?"_

"Is that why we make Mommy a snowman every Christmas?" Analise asked him.

"That's right, munchkin."

"I've never seen this photo before." Eliza commented, pointing to a photo from their wedding day.

"Mommy, you look like a princess." Analise told her.

"A queen, actually. My queen." Will told her. "That was when we gave in and had our first dance. Your mom had just found out that I was a really bad dancer, but it was too late to back out."

The girls laughed and Alicia shook her head. "That's not true, don't listen to him."

"_We did it." He whispered in her ear as they swayed to the music, his hands clasped at the small of her back._

"_You're stuck with me now." She told him, her arms around his neck._

"_Hey…that's my line."_

"_I can't believe we pulled off a Christmas wedding and everything turned out well." She looked around before resting her eyes on his. "I'm so happy to be your wife."_

"_As am I, to be your husband." He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and chuckled when everyone cheered around them. "Glad I was able to get Joe built before the ceremony, too."_

"_You did not name the snowman."_

"_Of course I did. It felt appropriate to do so after placing the bowtie on him." She laughed and shook her head. "Hey, he's a part of our family now. Well, until he melts."_

"_Alright, lovebirds. Let me get a couple of pictures." Owen said as he approached them. Alicia rolled her eyes and groaned, mumbling a complaint about not wanting to take anymore pictures. "Oh come on sis, can you please smile?"_

"_Yeah, Leesh. Smile like you mean it." Will teased her._

"_I always mean it with you." She replied, locking her gaze with his._

"So, did Uncle Owen take all of these?" Eliza asked.

"He did. Well, most of them." Will told her. "I took the rest. Some of these were new to me."

"Remind me to thank my brother for stalking me all these years." Alicia joked.

"Why is Daddy kissing your tummy in this one?" Analise asked.

"Because Ellie is in there." Alicia told her.

"_Leesh?" Will called out as he closed the door behind him. Glancing into their living room, he continued on to the kitchen when he saw she wasn't lying on the sofa. "I picked up some soup on the way home." Finding the kitchen empty, he placed the bag on the counter and made his way upstairs. "Leesh?" he called out again as he walked toward their bedroom. _

"_In here." _

_Coming to a stop, he turned and walked to the room he heard her voice come from. She sat cross-legged in the middle of the guest bed and smiled brightly when he appeared._

"_Hey." He leaned down to kiss her before sitting on the edge of the bed. "Are you feeling better?"_

"_Yep." She nodded once, still smiling._

"_Good." He looked around them, confused. "What are you doing in here?"_

"_I was thinking…" she shrugged. "Maybe it's time we redecorate this room."_

"_Okay… Are you thinking of painting it a different color or…?"_

"_That's a good start." She replied, nodding slowly._

"_Did you have a color in mind?"_

"_Well…that depends." She looked around the room. "If we decide to find out what we're having, we can pick the appropriate color. Otherwise, we can choose something neutral."_

_He smirked and shook his head. "So, in other words, you don't…" he stopped and quickly looked in her direction. "Wait…what did you just say?" He lowered his eyes down to her stomach and then back to her sparkling orbs. "Are you…?"_

_Tilting her head slightly, her smile widening, she replied softly. "We're having a baby."_

_He stared at her, letting the news sink in until he reached out and pulled her to him, kissing her repeatedly. He stared into her eyes, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "I love you. So much. You know that, right?" He asked, softly._

_Smiling, she nodded and leaned forward to kiss him gently. "I love you, too."_

"_Do you need anything?" He asked her, running his hands along her arms. She shook her head in response. _

"_I have everything I need and want right here." She whispered._

_Looking down, he tentatively reached out and placed his hand on her nonexistent bump. "We're having a baby." He whispered, enamored with the tiny being inside. "And I'm already in love with him…or her."_

"This one is you, Ana." Eliza told her, bringing her attention to a similar photo, except in this one it was Eliza kissing Alicia's pregnant belly

"What's this one, Mommy?" Analise asked, pointing to the grainy black and white photo.

"That…is an ultrasound." Alicia told her, a small smile forming on her lips.

"A what?" Analise scrunched up her face in confusion.

"It's a picture of the baby inside of Mommy when she was pregnant." Eliza told her before looking at Alicia. "Which one of us is this, Mom?"

"Well, actually my little loves," she looked up at Will who urged her to go on with a small nod and a soft smile. "This is a picture of your baby brother, who will be joining us in approximately five and a half months." They both gasped and pulled away from Alicia to look at her.

"Mom… Is that why you've been so tired and…sick?" Eliza asked, her voice cracking.

"Yes, honey."

"Oh, thank God!" she said as she leaned in to hug her, tears falling from her eyes.

"Whoa. Why are you crying?" Alicia asked her.

"I thought something was wrong with you."

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry." She told her as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "We wanted to wait until today to tell you. I don't think either of us realized it was so obvious." She glanced at Will, who sat in front of her on the coffee table, digesting what he'd just heard and smiled.

"Wait a minute." Analise reached over, moved the frame out of her way and opened Alicia's robe. "There's a baby…" she pointed to the tiny hint of a bump. "…in _there_?"

Eliza laughed and Alicia nodded her head. "Yep. Growing inside of me and making me very tired and hungry all of the time."

"Wait…you…you said…brother?" Will eyed her. "We…we…we're having a boy?" He jumped up when she nodded her confirmation. "We're having a _boy_!" he yelled with his arms raised in the air, causing them all to erupt in a fit of laughter. Reaching down, he grabbed the frame from her lap, placing it on the coffee table and pulled her up. "I didn't think it was possible, but I love you more today than I did when I first laid eyes on you 18 years ago." He told her before kissing her. "Merry Christmas." He told her when he pulled away.

"Happy Anniversary." She replied, gazing into his eyes. "I love you, Will."

Eliza reached for her father's camera. "Mom, Dad…" they looked over. "Smile."

"Like you mean it!" Analise exclaimed.


End file.
